Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas: Madrid Style

A video I took with Caroline walking around the Puerta de Sol. I'll leave you to wonder...


Feliz Navidad
-mb

Monday, December 27, 2010

"Viaje" by Jacob Spetzler

Viaje from Jacob Spetzler on Vimeo.



The trip from New York to Madrid captured by Jacob Spetzler. An amazing video that reminds me of just how fast time goes by. A big thank you to Jacob for all the work for putting this together.



-mb




**You can see me with Phoebe & Zeke in Switzerland taking a picture with our Swiss chocolate and shots with the white sunglasses.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Navidad

Oh how far behind I am in blogging.


Christmas this year was really interesting, as I had not the slightest clue what to expect. Here they celebrate January 6th as the Day of the Three Kings, so there's still another holiday left.



We set up our artificial Christmas tree a few weeks ago. I have to laugh as it only took about 20 minutes, compared to a good six hours at home. Living in a small apartment makes it hard to have a big tree, as there is not much room. I was caught off guard when I was sitting down one day eating breakfast, to find my American Family's Christmas card in the middle of the tree. Do those usually go there??



In general, there are not as many Christmas decorations here as compared to the states. Decorations. Lights? Madrid may possibly be the most lit up city on planet Earth.
Myself and other exchangers went on a bus tour to see the lights, which was phenomenal. It could explain the reason for such a high electricity bill, as my host family can not afford to put Christmas lights on our tree.



School wasn't too exciting. Wednesday the 22nd was our last day, with Thursday being a Christmas party at the school. Again, half my class decided that there would be nothing important Wednesday, so our classroom had the number of kids there was on the day of the strike. Everyone I talked to wasn't going to the Christmas party Thursday, so I didn't go either. We received a Christmas card from the school, which really confused me- One, not everyone is Catholic, and Two, since when does the school give the students anything? Strange.

We don't return to school until Monday the 10th, after the Day of the Three Kings. I am looking forward to a long break, as school ends sometime in the middle to end of June. With me leaving July 1st, I think this is the longest amount of time I have left in Spain with no school.

Christmas Eve my host family's family came to our house for dinner. We ate a "fancy" dinner with everyone together. At midnight everyone at once got up and greeted each other with the Spanish greeting (two kisses on the cheek) which confused me at first, as I did not realize it was midnight for quite some time. Everyone just got up at once.


Next we opened gifts, (1 per person minus a few of my host siblings) which was a bit strange, as I am used to waking up and then opening gifts. That ended the night as everyone slept in the next day. Again, very strange for me to do nothing special on Christmas day itself.

Let me add a side note that there is no snow on the ground, and the grass is very green. It hasn't gotten cold yet, as I would compare this to the end of October or so in Minnesota. Awesome, actually. It's nice to go a year without the disaster mess that snow brings, but at the same time snow gives the season something that is missing here...

Currently I have no plans for New Year's Eve, but I've heard it is a tradition to eat grapes the last... 12? seconds of the countdown. Not Sure.

More Soon,

-mb

Group picture of students credited to Catherine.

Monday, December 13, 2010

What I've Learned (3 Months)

What I've learned? Is... A lot.


What I've learned cannot be expressed in one post, a blog, or a book. Why? Because not even I know everything that I've learned. But I do know one thing.

I've learned a lot.



As I sit here and think of how the trimester students have already returned home, I am so thankful that I have more time.

Why? Because I have yet to finish many things.

One- the language.
Two- a solid group of Spanish friends.
Three- the culture.
Four- school.
Five- understanding life.

And lastly, I haven't figured out how to use a cell without handing over my life savings to Vodafone.

I've got seven months. But only... seven months.




A possibly better list than "What Still Needs to be Finished" would be titled "What Still Need to be Understood."

And this list...could go on. And on. And on. For kilometers, and kilometers, and eventually miles- (If you're in the United States...)




What Still Needs to be Understood:

One- the language.
Two- Spanish people.
Three- the culture.
Four- school.
Five- life.

And finally, how to use a cell phone without handing my life savings over to Vodafone.



Yep. Same list. And why is this? Simply the fact that I haven't learned everything yet. There are still unanswered questions, and missing pieces to the puzzle. If something doesn't make sense, it's simply because I don't know the reasoning behind it.

And this, my friend, is the reasoning behind three very eventful months...




ONE: The Language

Basic and straight forward- I have yet to master the Spanish language. At three months I can more or less understand most eventhing that is said to me. I can speak decently, but not as well as I'd like. It's interesting- as my level of Spanish depends on the topic of the conversation; mostly due to vocabulary.
Today while reading my science book, I could understand most everything. Understanding conversation? That's tricky. Conversation is very hard to understand when I'm not 'in' the conversation. I've decided this is because when you know what is going on, you can almost guess the response from someone, making it easier to understand.

Reading my literature book? I don't. Or- I try not to. It just gets me angry and makes me think I'm reading Chinese.

TWO: Spanish People
I don't like to generalize by any means, so I am just talking about sense I receive from the atmosphere around me. Waiters, clerks, salesmen, etc. have a different attitude and relationship with us..customers. They aren't as interested in your life as many are- and certainly would never dream of asking how a stranger's day was. I'm not saying they aren't nice- they just...are there to get their job done.



Lost? I've tended to notice that if someone doesn't know how to get there- they'll act like they do. Especially police officers. It really confuses me actually. If they don't know- they'll confidently point you in the direction of their choice.

Toursits. Good luck. That's all I have to say. You of course (remember I'm in Madrid...very toursity) will be taken advantage of by all means. I think a lot of people in Madrid are tired of tourists, and tend to ignore them when possible. It's funny for me to see tourists with all their fancy cameras, metro maps, standing on the wrong side of the escalator, pronouncing things wrong, and just generally wandering around in general. Then again I can pick out the Americans. That's always fun.

A few things I've noticed. The number of young smokers? RIDICULOUS. Absolutely absurd. It's sad to see such young kids walking around with cigarretss- I think if they actually knew how bad they are for you, they wouldn't smoke.

Walking. Yep. You can pick out a local from a tourist from a Spanish person just by the way they walk. Well, atleast the people I've been with. Tourists just walk around stopping in the middle of the street taking pictures, oohing and ahhing over the monuments or whatever, while I've noticed a lot of Spanish people just walk slow. Like in general. I mean, if it means you have to run twenty feet to make the metro on time, let's do it- ok? I never knew I could walk so slow in my life. It's quite difficult, actually. Requires a lot of patience.

"Mind your own business" is a phrase I don't know how to say in Spanish but could be very useful. If you're used to not wearing a coat in 65ºF weather, you're not going to wear one, OK? And if you don't wear a scarf because "it's windy"...your not going to! And if you don't sit down the second the teacher comes into class, it's your problem- not theirs. Just because I (or other exchangers) might speak like a little kid, people forget that they don't have to treat us like one too.

Crosswalks. I am very intriegued as to what the laws are in Spain- as you can cross any (for sure one way) street and cars will just stop for you. It's amazing. Red, Green, Yellow, whatever- you are basically allowed to cross whenever you feel like it. It's still taking a bit of getting used to- but it's really nice. Bigger streets? Not as much. People really like to show off how loud they can rumble their moped though.



Besides teachers which I have already talked about- I want to make clear that I am not saying every single person is or does things mentioned about. I've just found a few similarities I've found in the people here.

THREE: The Culture
This is simply been quite an...interesting part of my adventure. If you read Jake's blog, theres a post about 8? things different here than in the USA. We had to laugh because almost all of his differences were opposites of mine. This just proves that culture and family lifestyle are two completely different things.

So what is culture? That's a tough question. As life in your house can be so much different than you're neighbor's...culture is such a hard topic. Also, being in the center of Madrid makes it hard to distinguish between 'culture' and 'tourist traps'. Chocolate and churros are lined up in the streets, followed with places to eat paella and ham- but is this really what the culture is?

My answer has yet to be found. I have been left to do culture searching basically on my own. I have been thankful enough to have gone with other student's host families to a few events- but I'm still out searching for that "typical lifestyle"...as my host family is quite different.

FOUR: School.
School. Ugh. That's a post in it's own. (Eskwehla en Espahnya...or something)

FIVE: Life.
As most of my differences have been with my host family, it is very interesting to see how drastically different lifestyles can be in the same country. I've concluded that the country you pick isn't nearly as important as the family you receive. And to confirm the rumors- Yes. I am searching for a new host family in Madrid. there have been some miscommunications as to what is a "family experience" and the responsibilities of a host family. If you host- atleast be interested in having someone in your home. For the least.

Even though three and a half months have been a bit questionable on this end- I have learned more than I probably would have with a more "typical" host family. Simply this has made my experience worthwhile- as I have grown leaps and bounds by figuring out and solving daily life by myself.



And last, the good old Vodafone. I'm not going to lie- it's going to be weird going back to a home where I can shoot anyone a text or call them when or how often I want. My phone plan? 35 (EURO!) cents a minute or text. Unless they have Vodafone. Then I only have to pay for the first minute, and the next 89 minutes are free. The catch? You service never lasts for more than three minutes. Go figure.

And this is only a summary of What I've Learned- the Three Month Mark.



Keep an Open Mind

-mb

Monday, November 29, 2010

Searching for Snow

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening


Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.


My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near


Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.



-Robert Frost






Saturday a group of us AFS students went hiking in the mountains. For like five hours. Possibly some of the best five hours ever. The trip was absolutely incredible. Our journey took us through a completely distinct part of Spain. The mountains are completely different and offer a completely different view of what Spain has to offer.

We were told to come prepared for 15 centimeters of snow...This confused me as being from Minnesota- 15cm of snow is like warning someone there is grass in your front yard. Don't let the pictures fool you- my friend and I took turns carrying the coats or the backpack :)

The first sighting of snow? Well, we almost missed it. But the higher we climbed, the more snow there was. And we found enough to have a snowball fight---AWESOME!

We also encountered cows (with a cow bell- something I've never actually seen used before) and horses. They all belonged to someone- but it was really interesting how you were free to walk right up to them.

Today is a day to go down in history. Not only was it the first snowfall (picture below a view outside my window)in Madrid, but also the day I received my Student Card (Extended Visa) as well.

...And don't worry, I had to go to two different places and ask five people for directions. Any future AFS Spain student should contact me for directions, as I can give you a perfect metro-by-metro color coded building (& opening and closing times) guide. Along with the list of places that were the "old" government buildings...




Before closing, I would like to give a big Muchas Gracias to Esther & Miguel for letting me borrow the snow pants, gloves, shoes, and SWEET (Me encanta MUCHO!) hat. As not only did this make my hike possible, I felt pretty cool :)


Happy Snow Searching

-mb



Oh yeah, and my spell check is now in Spanish. But the website is still in English? Super.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Hypothermosis

The fear of sweat.



Or at least, according to Answers.com. Sounds like... Harry Potter? -ish?

Hypothermosis. I think many people I have met have this. Remembering back to orientation many people mentioned how the Spanish culture is very laid-back.

Laid-back as in, no one ever arrives on time.

But I have found much more than just that. The atmosphere of getting things done is...non-existant.

So how do things get done?


I took notes on everything that happened in one day. And I came up with a list, surprising myself on how much I have already gotten used to.

Quite interesting, life.


"A Typical Day"

Tuesday Morning- First Hour
I get my English test back. Or was that the day before? I don't remember.

8.75

Please tell me what is wrong with:

I owned a dog when I was younger.

But don't worry- my entire test was correct. She marked things that weren't wrong.




Tuesday Night

Someone told me during school there was a science test (in CMC, one of the like bazillion science classes I have) the next day. Awesome, right? Another test I won't understand. Cool. So I go home and decide to open my book and read what I could. (which is next to nothing...)

And? There is no book. I looked everywhere. (a plus to having a small apartment- not many places to look)


I NEVER bought my CMC book?!

Nope. Must have forgotten to buy it when I got all of my other ones. But I only noticed November 23rd?? Yep...

Likewise, I signed into Tuenti and asked a classmate what our book looks like. He didn't remember- as we haven't actually used it yet. And he also told me our test wasn't until the 25th. AND- It wasn't about things in the book.

WHAT?!


Welcome!... to Spain. The land where I haven't seem to understand...life. Yet.

5:00PM- I went to the bookstore to get my long-forgotten book. Let me add, stores here are closed in the middle of they day from about 2:30-5:00PM for siesta. Where people actually sleep is up to them- but everyone takes the time off to go home and eat lunch.

The catch to 'school book' shopping is you don't get your books the same day. You have to come back the next day to pick them up and pay for them.

Walking out of the store I realized that they have the books there... somewhere... sitting on a shelf- as it is impossible to get just one book shipped in one day. The reason why people have to wait a day is for them to find the book.

The store isn't that big- trust me.

So that was a piece to my puzzle. An explanation. Of something.

Next I went to the 'Tobacco' store to change the type of my monthly Metro pass. Something I have to wait 20 days for...


Oh yeah- I took the Metro home. It's a day I'll officially mark down in my history book. I thought for sure I knew how the doors worked- but I guess if you push the button it's possible that they will only halfway open.

And then close. Smacking you square in the face.

And it's not like I walked into the doors. But it was still embarrassing. Thankfully if you shove the door back hard enough they re-open...



The Next Day

Another English test.

People don't usually tell me about these tests- but I guess it's all the same. Even if it is in English. It doesn't...make...much...difference.

Question mark?

When I handed in my English test, and in a really loud voice my English teacher asked,

"DID YOU UNDERSTAND THIS TIME?!"

I had no... words.



Then, she proceeded to tell me that I did the whole second page wrong.

She never looked at my test. Never. Not Once.

And if that wasn't bad enough, she yelled at me once again.

"Even SPANISH students understand how the exam!"


Right.......hmmmm.


After recreo, 9 or 10 students just left. Because there wasn't any tests in the afternoon.

I wonder what my American high school would do, if 9 or 10 students just left when there wasn't an exam.


The 7th Hour-

So the 7th hour that (everyone dreads) extends our Wednesdays and Thursdays. After 6th hour kids just got up and started leaving.

Because our 7th hour teacher didn't come to class- we didn't have class. And since it was the end of the day- we got to go home. Cool, eh? Yes, awesome. I asked the kid next to me how he everyone knew the teacher wasn't at school, because...no one told us?

His response?

"We just...know."


Thursday- Thanksgiving

My chemistry teacher hands out the tests from the day before. Mine's last.

Another announcement:

"BETH!...Nada ayer, no?"

(You didn't understand anything on the test, huh?)


Thank-Youuuu for announcing that to the class. As if that's really how I wanted to start my day. But whatever...

And yeah, she didn't give me my test back.



Math Class- My teacher was making fun of a student, and the class kind of laughed. Including myself. (This does NOT happen often...jokes in class.)

Realizing that I laughed with the class made me realize how far my Spanish has come in just under three months. But I wasn't the only one who noticed. The kid next to me stopped laughing, turned towards me, then away, and laughed at the fact that I was laughing. I, of course, couldn't help at laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation was...but quickly had to stop in order to not get into trouble...

Recreo- (if you don't understand please read previous posts :)

There was a "meeting" with all of my teachers about my grades and such. About the general idea that I can't complete normal schoolwork.
So- it was supposed to start at 11:25AM. But only then did the "head" teacher start to gather up all of the teachers. Don't worry- this wasn't posted or anything. It's like a... "see-if-you-can-find-everyone-quickly-inorder-to-look-organized" type of thing. But don't worry- I know better than that now.

So the meeting with "everyone" (which was minus a few teachers) lasted less than 5 minutes. One by one a teacher would just get up and leave and said they had to go somewhere. I think the meeting was successful-ish.. but I'll guess I'll find out more later.

The Spanish like the idea of just leaving. Strange.


GYM- Let me start to say that gym class is nearly a joke here as we don't do hardly anything. I have another post coming with more details about all of my individual classes to explain further.

In a nutshell, we didn't work hard. We never...work..hard. And something that bothered me when we were running is....kids don't do all the way to the line. Five to ten feet out they would cut it short and turn to go the other way.

Just another sign of laziness in our class. I find this in the states too, but it made me realize the discipline in our (school) sports- and how no one would ever stop before the line.

Or complain about such an easy gym class.


Teacher-Changing-Classroom..Time?- The second the teacher walks out the door the kids go wild. I mentioned before how everything just goes out the window. This time it was a backpack. Someone hid it behind a window on the ledge. Quite an interesting spot to find your backpack...

Another kid was using a book as a baseball bat to hit a paper ball. I guess Spaniards don't play enough baseball because the book went flying out of the kid's hands and went halfway across the room.

Another kid stole the chalk from the chalkboard, and within twenty seconds that too was flying across the room, breaking into pieces.

Other kids sometimes like to draw cartoon characters of the teachers. THIS- is worth watching. :)

Most of the other kids are quite well behaved- creating paper airplanes and hats, or just throwing paper around the room in general is considered to be less exciting.

Oh, and our Philosophy teacher (who happens to be our study hall supervisor as well) didn't come to school either, so 5th and 7th hour we didn't have class- therefore it was another normal going home day at 2:30PM :)


Thanksgiving afternoon-



I met up with Caroline and Jake to run by "The American Store" in order to look for things for Thanksgiving. We are having a feast at Caroline's house Sunday so it was necessary to buy the pumpkin pie and stuffing :D



It's really amazing at how many American products look like "gold." Not to mention it was all pretty expensive because it's imported...




Last Friday- Myself and two other exchange students pre-bought eleven Harry Potter (the original version with Spanish subtitles) tickets for (last) Saturday. Buying them together was necessary as here in Spain your seat number is important- there is no "First come, first serve."


Some of the exchange students had some fun with Harry Potter characters as well while walking aroudn Retiro Park. :)




Before the movie we ate at Foster's Hollywood- the only restaurant that gives free refills.





I hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving- as I myself have many things to be grateful for. I'll have more updates soon.


Happy Thanksgiving!

-mb

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Eskwehla ehn Espahnya

I could write a book about school, but I don't have a publisher, so I'm stuck writing a blog post. Super. I hope you realize this is just "informative" more than anything else. It's a blog post I've been dreading to write for quite some time- due to the large quantity of necessary information that I feel like I need to cover, and the lack of school related pictures to make it look more interesting. But it sets the pace of my experience here in Spain, so it is necessary that I start with this:



HELLO, AMERICA!

Did we figure this one out or what! How DARE we accuse our country of doing anything wrong simply because of the fact we FIGURED OUT HOW TO RUN SCHOOL! If we get everything else wrong, IT DOESN'T MATTER! We have THE school!

THE SCHOOL!


Phew. Glad I could get that out of my system. So what am I talking about... THE school? Isn't school extremely boring? Don't we complain about how we would rather be doing other things? Sure. School is school. You sit, and learn. But I do not ever, EVER want anyone to forget how fortunate we are in the states.


Let's start with the basics. I'm breaking this up into sections. If I had a publisher he or she might say it looks more "appealing" to the reader. I would also like to point out how one thing relies on another, like a domino reaction.

School- I walk ten minutes to my school, 8 if you pick up the pace. One metro stop exactly. My school is 1 ESO through 2 Bachillerato, which is equivalent to 7th-12th grade in the states. 1 and 2 Bachillerato are optional in Spain. Let me add that failing a grade is common, and it is not unusual for more or less 1/4 of a class to have failed. In my grade, 1 Bachillerato, there are two classes. Science and ...arts? My class has 34 or so students, and the other is about equivalent. I'm in the science class. Both classes have mandatory subjects, and then specified classes. For example: we all have to take language & literature, but we take another science class while they Greek and Latin. Then, within our class we can pick Biology or Technical drawing, and English (different than the required) or French. Students from either the arts or sciences can be together during this time. Minus physical education, these two classes are the only times we have to switch classrooms. The teachers change classrooms instead of the students. Interesting, eh?

We do not have lockers at our school. We use our backpacks to carry around all of our stuff. There's actually a hook on the side of all of the desks to hang your backpack.

Schedule- Everyday is a different schedule. School days start at 8:45AM, and end at 2:30PM. Minus Wednesdays and Thursdays. Those days we get out at 3:30PM. Well, I lied. We get out when class is done, so if we are done early we get out early. And if the teacher is as hungry as the students, we go home early.

Hungry? We don't eat lunch at school. Yep you read that right. I go from 8:15AM to about 2:45 or 3:45 without lunch. Lunch is eaten in the house. We get a 25 minute "recreo" (recess) from 11:25 to 11:50AM, but at my school no one really brings food. I've talked to other exchange students from other schools who do, but for some reason eating at my school just isn't "the thing."

During "recreo" students in 1 & 2 Bachillerato can leave campus. We end up talking in a "park" (which is a swing set in the middle of a cement area with benches...) for a little bit before returning to class. I am appalled at the number of young smokers. And it's not just cigarettes.

Classes- are 50 minutes long, with 5 minutes for the teachers to change classes. I still haven't figured out how the tardy/absent system works, as school starts at 8:45AM. Today, for example, I was still walking to class as the bell rang. I walk into class, and there are 4 people in the room. No teacher in sight.

That would be a heck of a lot of absent players on the field that game day.


So after people come to class, (and finally the teacher) students who are "late" knock on the door and ask for permission to join class. Depending on how late they were, the teacher says yes, or if they are in a grumpy mood the students have to go to the library.

WHAT?! If you are late to class you just might get to skip it? Yes. BUT! Keep in mind, any exam would be a zero, any notes you would not get, and finally- being in good terms with your teacher just might determine if you pass the class or not. That leads me to my next topic...

Material- All books are purchased by the students. And don't get me wrong, it's $200-$350 for books. The ironic thing about books is we don't actually use them. The teacher just talks and talks and talks, writes on the board occasionally, and not much more. We don't get homework like we do in the states. It's a: take-your-book-home-and-study-on-you-own type of deal. It's interesting when we do get a handout, because they are always handwritten by the teacher.. minus some papers for English class. Those are copied from something. And since no actual photocopy is legit, you usually struggle to understand what the black and grey blotches are on a page.

Tests- OK, so no homework for students, how cool, huh? NOT! Since the teachers talk, students take notes from them, and occasionally from what is written on the board. The chalkboard. But we'll talk about that later. Tests are made up by the teachers, and since there are no grades for homework, tests more or less determine your grade. And tests here are definitely the most unfair and unreasonable thing I have encountered here.

The grading scale is from 1 to 10. Well, scratch that- it's possible to get a zero. A 5.5 is passing. Please do not even try to think of a '10' as an 'A', a '9' as a 'B', .....as 10's just do not happen and 9's are a rarity. Passing is considered just fine.

What I don't understand is how a student can receive a 5.55 on a test when there are no multiple choice or fill in the blanks. Like really, how can a teacher determine the grade when each question isn't a set-determined amount of points? So when one student gets a 1.5 and another gets a 1.25, how is it even possible for the teacher to know a .25 difference? This is where I have noticed teachers here are just incredibly terrible. Favorites and "who they think are smart so they just get a good grade" is practiced... a lot.

Teachers- Not only has my view on specific teachers changed dramatically since day one, I would like to point out I have a whole new respect for American teachers. Teachers here don't even get to class on time. Teachers in the states are in school before school even starts.

Not only are teaching methods different, but the level of respect for students is incredibly low. In a nutshell, teachers aren't concerned about students here. In fact, they don't even know their names half of the time. The kid next to me always says "Good morning" and never once gets a reply. It's kind of a joke now. Teachers come in, lecture, and leave. They aren't nice and, open for questions. It's interesting- because bachillerato IS optional, if you don't come to school it's not the biggest of deal. But- if you happen to be drawing something, or doing something else (starting out the window, looking at something else...) teachers will get all offended and scold the student to "behave better." Another exchange student got yelled at for stretching in class.

It's almost as if the teachers know the topic they are teaching, but fail to do a good job...teaching. Connecting with students. Being a person people can go to for help. Being a teacher with...character.

Mrs. Bladholm, you are my hero.

I would like to throw out the teacher on the first day of school that I thought would be the meanest turns out to be the one helping me the most. And the one I thought would be the nicest turns out to be the one I could talk some serious sense into. And I'm convinced my English teacher (who happens to be the most hated teacher in my whole school) is scared of me, knowing that my English is far more advanced than hers. This results in her being extremely rude to me, which to me I find almost funny. I mean, if someone was being over the top rude to you in broken English that makes no sense, you have to wonder- Who's teaching who what?- sometimes. English class makes me so angry it's ridiculous. It's my least favorite class. I always thought it would be fun, and I would be a big plus to the class, there to answer questions about cultural differences, etc. But no. Nothing.

Let me also add that if this teacher were to teach in the United States she would be sued by someone in less than a day by the way she talks to students. You can't yell and scream at a class to shut up the way she does. I tried to explain to a student that this behavior wouldn't be tolerated in the states.

He laughed.




My English Exam:

Revise the following sentences.

I had a dog when I was younger.


I______________________________.



(WHAT THE HECK?!)




I was also told to speak slower multiple times, and when my teacher doesn't understand something it's very obvious. For example, obviously I don't need to:

"Go and there you explain to the class how the exam."

She meant to tell me:

"Go to class and I will explain the exam to you."


And when she doesn't know how to say something in English, she starts speaking to me in Spanish... which is just strange.


I only mention this particular teacher because of the level of offense and disrespect I have received. Never in my life has I been treated like this from any other person, much less a teacher.



Exchange students- That's the other thing. Exchange students here aren't a big deal. Nothing like kids in the states. In fact, week 2 of school I found out that there were about 6 or 7 other new kids as well. Since all the schools are the same, no one really cares. It's not a big deal if you are new. I'm the first exchange student in my school. Ever. And the teachers don't know...what to do with me? Something like that. I was very rudely asked countless times why I was in Spain. And why I was enrolled at this school. I was told I was in the wrong place. I was told I couldn't be here. I was told that I needed to go to a school that taught in English. And even still, problems continue...

Organization- Does not exist. It's amazing that I could write Book 2 just on how unorganized things are here. I'll save my story on my visa paperwork for another day.

It's not just the fact that things are..."unorganized." It's the fact that nobody cares, and it's not their problem- it's yours. And if you don't know, well then...sucks for you. And if you can't speak Spanish? What the shenanigans are you doing in Spain? Why are you even here??

Oh yeah, classes don't get interrupted for anything. Not even if it's because the school lost your paper that you need for your meeting in two hours(because the principle who was supposed to sign it yesterday (at 2 o'clock...because they don't get to school before then. And school closes at 2:30PM?) went on vacation and nobody has his phone number or cares to look for it because it's on the secretary's desk and she's teaching a class) in order to renew your visa that you had to reschedule after going to three different wrong buildings and asking five people for directions because people can't give directions and you didn't have all the paperwork you needed in the first place because nobody cared to tell me what this meeting was about (because I'm always told different things by different people and my lack of Spanish even added to the whole disaster...) even though we got most of the paperwork my first three days in Spain (which was going to over thirteen different buildings, asked "adonde vamos?" more than two hundred, I stopped at that number because it started to get depressing...)


(I'm pretty sure my publisher would throw this paper back at me and tell me it's the most ridiculous run on sentence they have read...)


Yep. Bienvenidos a mi vida. Welcome to my life. My Spanish...life.


Now with the classroom.


Walls- A classroom is made up of four walls. Four, COMPLETELY BARE walls. No color, no posters, no inspirational quotes, NOTHING!

Windows- Windows have no screens. Therefore, things often get tossed out the window. Papers, nail clippings, gum, spit, soccer ball, you name it. If it's not wanted in the classroom, out the window it goes. I think there's actually some law about safety in the United States, and suicidal hazards. I could be wrong though.

And the teachers! Teachers always are getting mad about the freaking windows. They want them open, they want them closed. They want the blinds up, they want the blinds down. WE CAN NEVER MAKE THEM HAPPY!

Trash cans- are super small. As in, less than two feet tall by one foot in diameter. I tell ya, everything just goes out the window.

Emptiness- The classroom is empty. This isn't a third world country, but you do have to bring your own tissues to school. There are no staplers. Tape. Construction paper. Extra pens. Pencil sharpener. N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

An somehow, it just works. But that's my next blog post.

Bathrooms- ARE CLOSED IN BETWEEN CLASSES! I just found this out today. This in itself I don't think would work in the states. I always wondered why people never left class... Oh yeah- there's usually never toilet paper in the bathrooms (or soap?). Or paper to dry your hands. In fact, there are barely mirrors. Our locker room is worse. One 2 foot by two foot mirror. And nobody showers. Or changes clothes really. But that almost works- as gym class is more or less a joke and nobody sweats.

Let me mention that deodorant could be mistaken for hairspray. &&The strong smell could knock you off your feet! I am very interested in how this European deodorant works...


Technology- Is non-existent. I think there is only one projector (the type that is attached to the ceiling...not the type that is a good 50 years old that physically switches slides like the one we use in biology...) in the school. And the laptop to play it from? We have to bring that and set it up. We are currently doing PowerPoint's, which reminds me of something else. Not only do we have to switch classrooms in order to use the projector- but I have never realized the level of intelligence American students have when preparing "professional" presentations. Most of us know that you can't read directly off the screen word for word, and your 30 or 40 slides should not have a background that's hard to look at. And a good 500 worded paragraph on one slide with symbols and tricks is obviously plagiarism.

There is a computer lab, however. Most of the computer don't work- but hey, it's there.

Sports- THERE ARE NONE. No school sports. No school colors. No school mascot. No school patriotism. There is NOTHING! And since I live in the center of Madrid, it's really hard to find things to do such as clubs for fun, or something on that line. Most things are pay-and-join a club...which is too far of a travel to commute to everyday. If someone finds out what kids do after school- PLEASE tell me. Even though I can't complain, I usually find a place to walk to in the city, whether it's a touristy thing to do or not, there's usually somewhere to go...



Well, this concludes it for now. Nine hours later and countless philosphy classes, and I have finished Part 1. I have so much more to say it's impossible to fit it all in one post. Hopefully you made it to the bottom, as I'm not sure if I would have the patience to sit and read something for that long. I don't even have time to read this back through to edit it haha...sorry.

I guess I can sum up things and say...well...I don't know. I'll leave you to ponder this post and have your own thoughts. Expect more soon.




'Til Later,


-mb


***Oh yeah. Colored chalk is our "new technology."

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Before You Read


(In reference to future blogs)






The ABC's. Reading with an open mind. thanks :)





As my next blog posts contain a TON of information, it is very important for you to understand the following things:

A) These posts are written by me.

I say this because I am an exchange student from the USA. My views and experiences will be different than those of a typical Spaniard. I don't speak Spanish...enough. There are times of possible miscommunication. I stick out as a foreigner here.



B) I say it how it is.

I don't want to be a negative blogger, or someone who exaggerates. Those are no fun. I try to avoid bias opinions, or make ignorant comments. At the same time, please remember that I also try to give my point of view as an exchange student. I won't be telling you the names and history of Spain, or the significance of the monument that "what's his name" built muchos años ago. Yeaaaaaa no.

And please remember I live in Madrid. I don't know the life of someone in the north, or the south, on the east, or the west. And I will not generalize Spain together as a country. Comments are only from what I have experienced. Just think. If you were to live in your neighbor's house, it may seem like a different country.

Lifestyles are different. It doesn't matter how far you go.



C) Cat is to dog, as tree is to...blog?


If you can give me two minutes of a second grader's imagination, imagine this:

A tree grows from the ground, starting with the trunk. The trunk supports the entire tree. Next come the branches which expand the tree, making it bigger. After the branches come smaller branches, and finally leaves. Leaves work together to give a tree it's pretty color. Some leaves are rotten, and no individual leaf is perfect- but all of the leaves work together to give an overall pretty color. With leaves comes change. Seasons change leaves. There's nothing anyone can do about it. It's natural. Some changes make the leaves look prettier, while other changes make the tree look rather...not the greatest. But even during the harsh winter months, trees still have their place in nature with the beauty of ice and snow.


A blog. You start from the basics and write stories after you have established the base. It is impossible to understand the stories without understanding the basics. Some things I write might be compared to the ugly truth, while others might seem like "that perfect leaf." But not even how perfect something may seem, it still gets weathered and eventually ends up on the ground. But not even how terrible something may seem, it still has it's place on the tree, filling an empty space. If you were to pick off all of the leaves on a tree leaving only the good ones, you would be left with very few. Probably none.

Stories. They have their ups and downs. Not everything is perfect, while what might seem bad is natural. In order to understand one thing, you must understand the source.




Trees.

Maple, Oak, Pine.....Tourist, Exchange Student, Native.

All share some same qualities. All have a trunk, all need the basics of life to live, all go through changes, etc. But within trees are differences, even though more or less it is the same concept.



And just like trees, every exchange student's experience will be different.





And then some things just won't make any sense.





(Please read future blogs to understand...)





Happy Gopher Day


-mb




Pictures 2,6,8,and 12 credited to Caroline.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

seventeen

So here I am, one day shy of being 17. Where has time gone? Or is time the one that moves? Because I think people move. Time just happens. People learn. People change. People grow. People move.

And people, are most definitely the ones who make the world go round.

At almost 17 it's amazing to look back and see what I've done. Accomplished. Finished. Learned. It's amazing to look back and see the places I've been, the people I've met, and the things that have changed myself as a person. I feel like this is a marker on my life timeline. The significance? Not much. Just another birthday. But for the first time when I turned around to see what has fulfilled these 17 years, there was a different feeling. My time here in Spain has taught me more than I know. The little things that I have gotten used to, the lessons I've learned, and most of all- the people I've met. There is no explanation to describe some of the friends that I have made, and how grateful I am to have them. And with this experience I have confirmed one important lesson. It's not the places you go, or the things you do- it's the people.


People fulfill life.

Not places, or monuments. Not beaches, or mountains. Not money, not gifts. How boring would life be without being accompanied by our friends? The world is one, big place. Sure there are different cultures, languages, religions, or countries... but in the end, the world is our place.

Our one place, together. People are people. It doesn't matter where you are from.

I would like to point out how much I have learned from people all over the world. My friends? I have many. From Kentucky to New York. Massachusetts to Washington. Texas to Missouri. Minnesota to Florida. England to Japan. Thailand to Germany. Italy to Norway. The connection between the exchange students is incredible. Exchange students are the best people to talk to. They understand everything you are going through. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to have the best group of friends anyone could ask for. Saturday my awesome friend Caroline got a group of students together and we went to a theme park in Madrid. Not only did she plan the party, she brought a cake. An ice cream cake.
"And those are freaking hard to find in this country."
The thing is, we have these great ideas. But something always pops up that turns our "good idea" into a complete project or adventure. Like Caroline bought me a cake. But that required her taking it on the bus (which she had to sprint to for a heck of a long way) and then later on the metro, and finally to the theme park. Now, she brought JUST the cake so that required me 'borrowing' a knife from the Chinese restaurant we ate at. Getting the cake into the park required putting the cake (and the knife) in Mackenzie's purse. (picture above) We enjoyed our cake sitting on some nice green grass that had a 'DO NO WALK ON GRASS' sign. But of course... in Spanish. We then had no spoons/forks/napkins/plates to eat an ice cream cake. Therefore, this was the best ice cream cake experience I've ever had in my life. Oh yeah, we could at least wash our hands after eating. Phew.

But there were no paper towels or dryer, so...yeah.




Jake also has a really awesome blog you should read- he's one of the other students in central Madrid. He has another blog on the day too.

http://jakeinmadrid.blogspot.com/2010/10/afs-amistades-forjadas-para-siempre.html


That's all I've got for the night. I have another post coming soon.

Picture below credited to Jake




Hope your day is filled with a bunch of squirrely adventurous things as well


-mb